COVID-19 sent KC’s Big Slick online, yet it manages to raise its third highest total
Big Slick Celebrity Weekend had to cancel its events and move online this year because of the coronavirus. But the fundraiser still managed to raise its third highest amount ever for Children’s Mercy’s Cancer Center: $2 million, organizers announced Sunday.
The annual event, hosted by hometown celebrities Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, Eric Stonestreet, Rob Riggle and David Koechner, had been scheduled for June 5-6 with its usual softball game at Kauffman Stadium, bowling tournament at Pinstripes and auction and party at the Sprint Center.
This year, the event transformed into “Big Slick at Home,” with the celebrities going on social media every night for 10 days to introduce videos of some of their favorite Big Slick moments. An anonymous donor offered up to $1 million as a match for every donation made in that time.
The exact total: $2,072,420.
That amount includes $58,000 raised via December’s Big Slick Chiefs Tailgate, $240,000 from the “Junk in the Trunk” Tesla Model 3 Giveaway and $635,000 from top donors.
Only the Big Slick events of the past two years grossed more: $2.5 million last year and $2.1 million the year before. That brings the total donated to Children’s Mercy from the event’s 11 years to more than $12 million.
In addition to supporting patients and families, some proceeds this year will also go to a fund to help Children’s Mercy employees, including those who were furloughed, cover unexpected financial emergencies from COVID-19.
Donations to Big Slick can still be made at bigslickkc.org.
